Peddie School actors to perform ‘Urinetown’
By: Jessica Beym
Being part of a musical in which the story centers on bodily functions wasn’t Katie Lindberg’s idea of a ticket to stardom.
But despite the humorous storyline of The Peddie School Theater production of "Urinetown," which is showing at the Peddie School this weekend, the actors said they take their performance quite seriously.
"I wasn’t really excited about it at first, but after getting to know the story, you find out it’s really funny," said Katie, a Cranbury resident and junior at The Peddie School. "It’s good at Peddie because most of the people are energetic and enjoy doing it. Everyone wants to be there."
Opening night of the school’s rendition of the Tony Award-winning Broadway production was scheduled for Thursday at the Mount-Burke Theater on The Peddie School campus in Hightstown and will continue today (Friday) and Saturday with showtimes at 8 p.m.
"Urinetown" originally written by Greg Kotis and directed by Dennis Trainor at Peddie uses an abundance of humor and musical parodies to tell a tale of a Gotham-like city of the future that suffers when a drought hits the town hard. To conserve water, the government enforces a ban on private toilets. To find relief, citizens must pay a fee to use a public facility. But the prices are controlled by the corporation, Urine Good Company, and continue to rise. Anyone who refuses to pay the fee or uses a private toilet is arrested and banished to Urinetown a place where no one returns.
Problems escalate until Bobby Strong, a bathroom custodian, played by 15-year-old Max McGuire a sophomore from Cranbury, tries to overthrow the government and bring the people to a world where they are "free to pee."
For Max, this is the first major role he’s played, and while he said it’s a lot of work, his photographic memory is what helps him memorize his lines.
"It’s a lot of work and a lot of responsibility, but it’s one of the most rewarding things anyone could do," Max said.
But this isn’t the first time Max and Katie who plays Josephine Strong, Bobby’s mother are working beside each other in a theatrical production. When they both attended the Cranbury School, they starred together in their eighth grade production of the "Music Man."
While Max’s character doesn’t interact with Katie’s character too often, he said it helps to know a familiar face on the stage.
"It makes things easier. We’re able to joke around and we have a lot of fun," Max said.
Katie and Max aren’t the only talented Peddie School students from Cranbury who have their hands in the production.
Greg Sullivan, a sophomore, and Reva Geier, a freshman, both have also dedicated hours to after school rehearsals since early January.
Greg plays dual roles as Dr. Billeaux and Tiny Tom. Reva, is working behind the scenes as one of three student stage managers.
"You have to try and take it seriously. It’s a lot of work," said Reva, who was a cast member during a production last year, and had participated in musicals at the Cranbury School before she came to Peddie last year. While Reva said she enjoys acting and exploring different characters, she has enjoyed the freedom given to her and the other student stage managers throughout the production.
"Our director talks a lot about the musical, how ‘Urinetown’ originated, how it was done on Broadway. We try to keep it as much like the original show as it can be. Our director gives us a lot of guidance but we’re free to our own interpretations and opinions too," Reva said. "The story is pretty twisted and it’s really funny. It’s not your ordinary musical, but that’s what makes it so special."
The show is open to the public and tickets are $10. For tickets and more information contact the Swig Arts office at Peddie at (609) 490-7550.